Thermosetting adhesive films including a fibrous carrier

ABSTRACT

Flexible films comprise an adhesive layer and a fibrous supporting layer and the thermosetting adhesive materials which are non-tacky to the touch are storage stable at room temperature and can be cured at elevated temperature with a short cure time and can be cured to produce a tough flexible adhesive layer including bonding to oily surfaces, the materials are particularly useful in bonding together dissimilar substrates where they can reduce the formation of galvanic corrosion.

FIELD

The present invention relates to adhesive films and in one embodiment to adhesive films that are non-tacky to the touch at room temperature. Additionally the films are storage stable at room temperature and can be heat activated to produce a strong bond between two substrates. The adhesive films are particularly useful in the production of an adhesive bond between two dissimilar substrates and/or in the bonding to oily surfaces which traditionally have been difficult to bond to. The invention is particularly useful in the reduction of elimination of galvanic corrosion that can occur when bonding together substrates having different conductivities and different coefficients of thermal expansion under the bond forming conditions.

BACKGROUND

In addition to reducing galvanic corrosion it is important that adhesive films when cured should not be brittle and should provide fracture toughness which means that a flaw in the film is protected against propagation. This is particularly important when the films are used for the bonding of substrates in vehicle manufacture to reduce or prevent fracture propagation in the event of accidents. It is also desirable that the cured films have an elongation to break to allow them to help absorb impact.

Thermosetting adhesive compositions are well known and many are based on epoxy resins and various methods have been proposed to improve the toughness of the adhesive bond formed and to control the glass transition temperature and accordingly reduce the brittleness of the cured adhesive. The adhesives are often used in highly automated processes such as in the production of components for automobiles, aerospace vehicles such as aircraft and rockets and in the construction and furniture industries. One desirable property is that the adhesive can be cured over a relatively short period of time and at temperatures conventionally used in the production of such components. In this way the curing of the adhesive will not unduly delay the component production process. It has also been proposed that the adhesives may be in the form of films.

The invention provides an adhesive film which satisfies these requirements.

SUMMARY

PCT Publication WO 2011/025873 relates to thermosetting adhesive compositions which can be provided as films. However, the thermosetting materials are pre-reacted which means that the films will not have the desired flexibility prior to exposure in the thermosetting environment and are difficult to employ in irregular shaped environments. Additionally the adhesive film cannot be produced by extrusion and the adhesives of WO 2011/025873 are shown to have an undesirably long cure time of about 90 minutes at 165° C. The films also have poor storage stability at room temperature and need to be stored under refrigerated conditions

The known films based on epoxy resins that can be used as an adhesive do not have the combined properties of being non-tacky to the touch at room temperature and storage stable at room temperature being flexible and protected against the propagation of flaws. Further the known adhesive films do not help to reduce or eliminate galvanic corrosion that can occur in the bonding together of different substrates.

Additionally, it is desirable that the adhesives can be applied and cured in any location. Prior thermosetting adhesives tend to be thin liquids during the curing process which means they can flow during cure if used in a vertical or inclined position and may not remain in the desired location. For example when used to bond vertical or inclined surfaces. Accordingly in one embodiment the invention provides a thermosetting curable adhesive which has thixotropic properties during the curing of the adhesive at the selected curing temperature.

To be non-tacky to the touch at room temperature is beneficial in that the films may be reeled and unreeled without sticking to each other. Within this patent application a film is considered to be non-tacky to the touch if it does not need a force more than 2 N to pull out a 25 mm diameter stainless steel plate applied on its surface. Although in certain instances it may be useful for the film to have a tacky surface.

It is also desirable that the films can be produced by extrusion.

Another important quality of the film is that it can be cured to adhere to oily surfaces such as metals with oil on their surfaces. The film is considered to adhere to oily surfaces if upon curing the film will adhere to a metal surface provided with a layer of 3 g/m2 of corrosion preventive oil like Anticorit® and Ferrocoat®. The shear strength of this assembly should not be reduced by more than 15%, preferably no more than 10%, of the shear strength of a similar assemblies made without the oil.

A difficulty when thermosetting adhesive films are used to bond dissimilar substrates is that the substrates may have different coefficients of thermal expansion and accordingly the surfaces of the substrates may move relative to each other, albeit by small amounts, during the heating to cure the adhesive. Hereagain a short cure time of the adhesive and a low coefficient of thermal expansion are beneficial in that it reduces the time available for thermal expansion of the substrates and thus reduces the relative positional changes of the substrates. Additionally the thermosetting adhesive film should have sufficient flexibility during the cure process to allow for a degree of movement between the substrates.

The invention provides an adhesive film which satisfies these requirements and which has an overall desirable combination of properties.

The present invention addresses these issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a manufacturing line for a thermosetting resin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention therefore seeks to provide a thermosetting adhesive film which has the desired combination of the following properties.

-   -   i) preferably non-tacky to the touch at room temperature     -   ii) is flexible prior to cure     -   iii) is storage stable at room temperature     -   iv) can be cured in no more than 45 minutes preferably 15         minutes at a temperature no higher than 190° C. preferably         130° C. to 190° C.     -   v) preferably forms an adhesive bond with oily surfaces     -   vi) has enhanced protection against the propagation of flaws     -   vii) reduces or eliminates the tendency for galvanic corrosion         in the bonding together of different substrates and     -   viii) preferably is thixotropic during the heat curing of the         adhesive film especially in the temperature range 130° C. to         220° C.

Some films may have one or more such properties but not the desired combination of properties. In a preferred embodiment the adhesive film is epoxy resin based.

According to this invention the adhesive films are provided with a fibrous porous support such as a fibrous layer or fleece. Fibrous materials embedded in a matrix of the thermosetting resin such as epoxy resins are well known and are commercially available as what are sometimes known as prepregs. The prepregs are used in the manufacture of articles usually by the laying up of several prepregs in a stack and curing the stack in a mould to produce a finished article such as an automobile or aircraft component, wind turbine blade or sporting goods. In this technology the resin is cured to bond several prepreg layers together. In the present invention the thermosetting adhesive film is used to bond together substrates other than additional layers of the fibrous support and is particularly concerned with the use of an adhesive comprising a thermosetting resin supported on a fibrous material for the bonding together of substrates derived from different materials in particular the bonding together of metal such as steel and/or aluminium to fibre reinforced composites such as glass fibre, carbon fibre or aramid filled epoxy or polyester resins. Accordingly the thermosetting resin and the adhesive film of the invention performs a different function from that performed in a prepreg.

The structural adhesives films of this invention may be used to improve the stiffness of automobiles so reducing the likelihood of vehicle roll over, improving vehicle ride characteristics and increasing vehicle durability and fatigue life.

The adhesive film of the present invention comprises a thermosetting resin adhesive layer provided with a support such as a fibrous layer or fleece.

The fibrous layer or fleece is preferably made, for example, from glass fibre, carbon fibre or aramid fibre. The fibrous layer or fleece not only supports the adhesive but can improve the properties of the cured adhesive. The fibres within the layer may be woven or unwoven and may be unidirectional or multidirectional depending upon the direction in which the strength is required. We prefer to use an electrically non-conducting fibrous layer or fleece such as non-woven glass fibre, glass fibre scrim, polyester or aramid. The non-woven layer may be provided with a binder such as a polyester resin, an epoxy resin or a functionalized acrylate, or a styrene acrylic acid copolymer.

Typical properties of the fibrous layer are:

Range Preferred Thickness (μm) [10-500] 400 Area weight (g/m²) [10-200] 56 Fibers length (μm) [min: 200] 12000 Elementary fiber diameter (μm) [2-50] 12 Tensile strength (N/15 mm) [20-300] 80 Parosity μm  1-1000 10-100

The porosity indicates the space in the fibrous layer available to receive the adhesive material.

The adhesive formulation can be adapted to have a viscosity at its deposition temperature such as the extrusion temperature so that it can readily impregnate such a fibrous layer or fleece upon contact therewith. Perhaps with the provision of a roller to press the viscous adhesive formulation into the interstices of the layer or fleece.

The invention therefore provides an adhesive film comprising a fibrous layer or fleece and an uncured adhesive layer. The uncured adhesive layer may be on one or both sides of the fibrous layer or fleece and may also impregnate the interstices of the fibrous layer or fleece.

An important quality of the film is that it can be cured to adhere to oily surfaces such as metals with oil on their surfaces. The film is considered to adhere to oily surfaces if upon curing the film will adhere to a metal surface provided with a layer of 3 g/m2 of corrosion preventive oil like Anticorit® and Ferrocoat®. The shear strength of this assembly should not be reduced by more than 15%, no more than preferably 10%, of the shear strength of a similar assemblies made without the oil.

It is preferred that the adhesive layer of the films of this invention be produced by extrusion.

The adhesive layer may be foamable and they preferably have the following properties. An unfoamed layer

-   Density (uncured): 1.3±0.1 kg/dm3 -   Thickness (uncured): 0.3 to 2 mm -   Cure Temperature: 130° C. to 190° C. -   Expansion during curing: <5% -   Typical Lap Shear Resistance: >30 MPa     -   Cure Conditions: 30 min at 165° C.     -   Samples: 1.8 mm G10/10 HD galvanized steel, 0.3 mm bondline,         25×12.5 mm overlap     -   Test Speed: 10 mm/min -   Average T Peel resistance greater than 7 Nmn -   Young Modulus: >2200 MPa -   Elongation to break: 1 to 4%

Storage stability at room temperature of at least 3 months

Good adhesion to oily surfaces as shown by loses of less than 20% of its mechanical properties when compared to adhesion to a non-oily surface.

A foamed layer

-   Density (uncured): 1.3±0.1 kg/dm3 -   Thickness (uncured): 0.3 to 2 mm -   Cure Temperature: 130° C. to 190° C. -   Expansion During Curing: 50% for 2 mm film thickness (increase     slightly with thickness) -   Typical Lap Shear Resistance: >20 MPa     -   Cure Conditions: 30 min at 165° C.     -   Samples: 1.8 mm G10/10 HD galvanized steel, 0.3 mm bondline,         25×12.5 mm overlap     -   Test Speed: 10 mm/min -   Average T Peel resistance greater than 7 Nmn -   Young Modulus: >750 MPa -   Elongation to break: 12 to 20%

Storage stability at room temperature of at least 3 months

Good adhesion to oily surfaces as shown by loses of less than 20% of its mechanical properties when compared to adhesion to a non-oily surface.

T Peel resistance is measured according to NFEN ISO 113394 with a substrate of 0.7 mm G 10/10 galvanised steel and a bond line of 25×100×0.3 mm.

The adhesive layer preferably has an uncured thickness between 0.2 and 3.0 mm.

The density and thickness refer to the adhesive layer excluding the fibrous layer or fleece.

The formulations employed to produce the adhesive layer of the films of the present invention will depend upon the use to which the adhesive film is to be put.

A preferred formulation comprises

-   -   i) a phenoxy resin     -   ii) an elastomer/epoxy resin adduct     -   iii) a core shell material and     -   iv) a curing agent

preferably the formulation additionally contains an epoxy resin.

It is important that the cured adhesive films of this invention are not brittle and also that they have fracture toughness which is the ability to resist propagation of a flaw once one exists within the film. We have found that the use of a phenoxy resin improves the flexibility of the film and reduces the brittleness compared to films based solely upon epoxy resins. We have also found that the use of an elastomer epoxy adduct and the core/shell material provide fracture toughness as well as contributing to the flexibility of the film.

We prefer that the formulation contains at least 15 wt % of a phenoxy resin, preferably from 15 to 40 wt % of a phenoxy resin. We prefer that the formulation contain at least 5 wt % of an elastomer epoxy resin adduct preferably from 5 to 40 wt %. Additionally the preferred formulation contains at least 5 wt % of a core shell polymer, preferably from 5 to 25 wt %. The percentages being of the entire formulation including other ingredients that may be present.

The phenoxy resins are high molecular weight materials which typically have a melting point around 150° C. or higher. As one important use of the films of this invention is in the production of adhesive bonds by the curing of the films at temperatures experienced in the automobile e-coat process, it is preferred to formulate the formulation from which the film is made at temperatures below the melting point of the phenoxy resin. Accordingly it is preferred that the phenoxy resin be provided to the formulating activity as a solution. We have found that a liquid epoxy resin is a particularly good solvent for the phenoxy resin.

Preferred phenoxy resins are high molecular weight thermoplastic condensation products of bisphenol A and epichlorohydrin and their derivatives. Typically the phenoxy resins that may be employed are of the formula

where n is typically from 30 to 100 preferably from 50 to 90. Modified phenoxy resins may also be used. Examples of phenoxy resins that may be used are the products marketed by Inchem Corp. Examples of suitable materials are the PKHB, PKHC, PKHH, PKHJ, PKHP-pellets and powder. Alternatively phenoxy/polyester hybrids and epoxy/phenoxy hybrids may be used. In order to enhance the production of the structural adhesive the phenoxy resin may be supplied to the other components as a solution. While any solvent may be used it is particularly preferred to use a liquid epoxy resin as the solvent as this can also contribute to the adhesive properties upon activation.

Typical other ingredients which may be used in the formulation that provides the thermosetting adhesive layer of the films of this invention include epoxy resins, hardeners (curing agents) for the epoxy resins, toughners for the epoxy resin system and flexibilizers. The layer is preferably produced by extrusion of the formulation onto the fibrous fleece and it is therefore preferred to include a reactive diluent in the formulation which aids extrusion and increases the flexibility of the uncured adhesive film, the use of a reactive diluent can also enable extrusion of the adhesive composition to form the film and can increase the ability of the adhesive formulation to impregnate fibrous layers which may be used as a support for the adhesive film as is discussed later. Mono-functional epoxy resins are particularly useful as reactive diluents.

The thermosetting adhesive layer of the adhesive films of this invention may contain epoxy resins and may contain other components according to the adhesive performance that is required.

Examples of other components which may be included in the formulations from which the adhesive layer of the films are made are

-   -   i. rubbers and elastomers optionally modified with epoxy resins         to provide increased toughness to the cured adhesive, preferably         including a core shell rubber material     -   ii. curing agents for epoxy resins optionally together with         curing agent accelerators     -   iii. optionally foaming agents if the adhesive is required to be         a foamable material.

The preferred thermosetting adhesive compositions from which the adhesive layer is prepared therefore contain a phenoxy resin, an epoxy resin in combination with elastomers and/or thermoplastics which are preferably core-shell particles and can be thermally cured with curing agents such as amine curing agents to provide thermosetting adhesive compositions having high toughness and high temperature shear properties upon cure combined with a non-tacky surface at room temperature and good storage stability at room temperature. In addition to the unexpected increase in higher temperature properties with improved toughness, these cured films are also characterized by high glass transition temperatures, high Youngs modulus, a desirable elongation to break and low water absorption making these compositions suitable for demanding environments that require high performance, such as for the aerospace and automotive industries.

Core-Shell Particles

Particles having a core-shell structure are a preferred component of the compositions used to produce the adhesive layer of the films of the present invention. Such particles generally have a core comprised of a polymeric material having elastomeric or rubbery properties (i.e., a glass transition temperature less than about 0° C., e.g., less than about −30° C.) surrounded by a shell comprised of a non-elastomeric polymeric material (i.e., a thermoplastic or thermoset/crosslinked polymer having a glass transition temperature greater than room temperatures, e.g., greater than about 50° C.). For example, the core may be comprised of, for example, a diene homopolymer or copolymer (for example, a homopolymer of butadiene or isoprene, a copolymer of butadiene or isoprene with one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as vinyl aromatic monomers, (meth)acrylonitrile, (meth)acrylates, or the like) while the shell may be comprised of a polymer or copolymer of one or more monomers such as (meth)acrylates (e.g., methyl methacrylate), vinyl aromatic monomers (e.g., styrene), vinyl cyanides (e.g., acrylonitrile), unsaturated acids and anhydrides (e.g., acrylic acid), (meth)acrylamides, and the like having a suitably high glass transition temperature. The polymer or copolymer used in the shell may have acid groups that are crosslinked ionically through metal carboxylate formation (e.g., by forming salts of divalent metal cations). The shell polymer or copolymer could also be covalently crosslinked through the use of monomers having two or more double bonds per molecule. Other elastomeric polymers may also be suitably be used for the core, including polybutylacrylate or polysiloxane elastomer (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane, particularly crosslinked polydimethylsiloxane). The particle may be comprised of more than two layers (e.g., a central core of one elastomeric material may be surrounded by a second core of a different elastomeric material or the core may be surrounded by two shells of different composition or the particle may have the structure soft core, hard shell, soft shell, hard shell). Either the core or the shell or both the core and the shell may be crosslinked (e.g., ionically or covalently), as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,509. The shell may be grafted onto the core. The polymer comprising the shell may bear one or more different types of functional groups (e.g., epoxy groups, carboxylic acid groups) that are capable of interacting with other components of the compositions of the present invention. In other embodiments, though, the shell is free of functional groups capable of reacting with other components present in the composition. Typically, the core will comprise from about 50 to about 95 percent by weight of the particles while the shell will comprise from about 5 to about 50 percent by weight of the particles.

Preferably, the elastomeric particles are relatively small in size. For example, the average particle size may be from about 30 nm to about 120 nm. In certain embodiments of the invention, the particles have an average diameter of less than about 80 nm. In other embodiments, the average particle size is less than about 100 nm. For example, the core-shell particles may have an average diameter within the range of from 50 to about 100 nm.

Elastomeric particles having a core-shell structure are available from several commercial sources. The following core-shell particles are suitable for use in the present invention, for example: the core-shell particles available in powder form from Wacker Chemie under the tradename GENIOPERL, including GENIOPERL P22, P23, P52 and P53, which are described by the supplier as having crosslinked polysiloxane cores, epoxy-functionalized polymethylmethacrylate shells, polysiloxane content of about 65 weight percent, softening points as measured by DSC/DMTA of about 120° C., and a primary particle size of about 100 nm, the core-shell rubber particles available from Dow under the tradename PARALOID, in particular the PARALOID EXL 2600/3600 series of products, which are grafted polymers containing a polybutadiene core upon which is grafted a styrene/methylmethacrylate copolymer and having an average particle size of ca. 0.1 to about 0.3 microns; the core-shell rubber particles sold under the tradename DEGALAN by Evonik Röhm GmbH or Röhm America, Inc. (e.g., DEGALAN 4899F, which is reported to have a glass transition temperature of about 95° C.); the core-shell rubber particles sold by Nippon Zeon under the tradename F351; and the core-shell rubber particles sold by Galata Chemicals under the tradename BLENDEX.

In the preparation of the formulation from which the layer is made elastomeric particles having a core-shell structure may be prepared as a masterbatch where the particles are dispersed in one or more epoxy resins such as a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A. For example, the particles typically are prepared as aqueous dispersions or emulsions. Such dispersions or emulsions may be combined with the desired epoxy resin or mixture of epoxy resins and the water and other volatile substances removed by distillation or the like. One method of preparing such masterbatches is described in more detail in European Patent Application EP 1632533. For example, an aqueous latex of rubber particles may be brought into contact with an organic medium having partial solubility in water and then with another organic medium having lower partial solubility in water than the first organic medium to separate the water and to provide a dispersion of the rubber particles in the second organic medium. This dispersion may then be mixed with the desired epoxy resin(s) and volatile substances removed by distillation or the like to provide the masterbatch. Other methods for preparing masterbatches of elastomeric particles having a core-shell structure stably dispersed in an epoxy resin matrix are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,778,851 and 6,111,015. Preferably, the particles are stably dispersed in the epoxy resin matrix, i.e., the core-shell particles remain as separated individual particles with little or no agglomeration of the particles or precipitation (settling) of the particles from the masterbatch as the masterbatch is aged by standing at room temperature. The shell of the elastomeric particles may advantageously be functionalized to improve the stability of the masterbatch, although in another embodiment the shell is non-functionalized (i.e., does not contain any functional groups that react with any of the other components of the adhesive composition (such as the epoxy resin or curing agent) when that composition is cured). Particularly suitable dispersions of particles having a core-shell structure in an epoxy resin matrix are available from Kaneka Corporation, and include, for example, KANE ACE MX 120®.

Assuming that the total amount of the epoxy resin and rubber particles in a masterbatch is 100% by weight, the content of the core-shell particles may be, for example, 0.5 to 80% by weight, preferably 1 to 70% by weight, more preferably 3 to 60% by weight, still more preferably 20 to 40% by weight. In one embodiment, the weight percentage of the epoxy resin containing, or predispersed with, nano core-shell particles is from 40% to 50% of the total weight of the composition.

The use of these core shell rubbers provides toughness to the cured adhesive film of this invention, irrespective of the temperature or temperatures used to cure the formulation. Many of the core-shell rubber structures available from Kaneka in the form of phase separated particles dispersed in epoxy resin are believed to have a core made from a copolymer of (meth)acrylate-butadiene-styrene, where butadiene is the primary component of the copolymer in the core. Other commercially available masterbatches of core-shell rubber particles dispersed in epoxy resins include GENIOPERL M23A (a dispersion of 30 wt % core-shell particles in an aromatic epoxy resin based on bisphenol A diglycidyl ether; the core-shell particles have an average diameter of ca. 100 nm and contain a crosslinked silicone elastomer core onto which an epoxy-functional acrylate copolymer has been grafted; the silicone elastomer core represents about 65 wt % of the core-shell particle), available from Wacker Chemie GmbH.

Typically, the composition from which the adhesive layer of the films of this invention are made may contain from 5 to 30 wt %, preferably 5 to 25 wt %, more preferably from 8 to 20 wt %, elastomeric particles having a core-shell structure. Combinations of different core-shell particles may advantageously be used in the present invention. The core-shell particles may differ, for example, in particle size, the glass transition temperatures of their respective cores and/or shells, the compositions of the polymers used in their respective cores and/or shells, the functionalization of their respective shells, and so forth.

Toughening Agents

Toughening agents are preferably included in the compositions used to prepare the adhesive layer of the films of this invention. Suitable toughening agents may be selected from a wide variety of substances, but generally speaking such materials are polymeric or oligomeric in character, and may have functional groups such as epoxy groups, carboxylic acid groups, amino groups and/or hydroxyl groups capable of reacting with the other components of the compositions, the composition is cured by heating.

The epoxy-based prepolymers obtained by reacting one or more amine-terminated polymers such as amine-terminated polyethers and amino silane-terminated polymers with one or more epoxy resins represent a particularly preferred class of toughening agents. The epoxy resins useful for such purpose may be selected from among the epoxy resins described hereinabove, with particular preference being given to the diglycidyl ethers of polyphenols such as bisphenol A and bisphenol F (for example, having epoxy equivalent weights of from about 150 to about 1000). Mixtures of solid and liquid epoxy resins may be suitably employed.

The preparation of such epoxy-based prepolymers from amine-terminated polyethers is well known in the art and is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,084,532 and 6,015,865. Generally speaking, it will often be desirable to adjust the ratio of amine-terminated polyetherepoxy resin being reacted such that there is an excess of epoxy groups relative to amine groups such that the latter functional groups are completely reacted (i.e., the epoxy-based prepolymer contains essentially no free amine groups). Mixtures of di- and trifunctional amine-terminated polyethers may be used. Amine-terminated polyethers containing both oxyethylene and oxypropylene repeating units (e.g., copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, with the copolymers having a block, capped or random structure) may also be utilized as the amino-terminated polyether. Preferably, the amino-terminated polyether contains at least two amine groups per molecule. Preferably, the amine groups are primary amine groups.

When reacting the epoxy resins with the amine-terminated polyether, an excess of epoxy groups over the amino groups is preferably used so that the latter react completely with epoxide groups. Typically, there is a 1.5 to 10-fold excess, for example a 3.5-fold excess of epoxy groups over the active hydrogen equivalents (AHEVV) of the amine-terminated polyether. In preparing the composition according to the present invention, the epoxy-based prepolymer component preferably is initially prepared in a first stage. To this end, preferably, the epoxy resins are reacted with the amine-terminated polyether in the desired ratio. The reaction preferably is carried out at high temperature, preferably at 90° to 130° C., for example at approximately 120° C., for a duration of, e.g., three hours.

Other suitable toughening agents include amorphous polysulfones, i.e., those polymers that contain predominately ether and sulfone groups interspersed between arylene residues. Such polysulfones, sometimes called polyethersulfones, may be prepared by the processes taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,175, and particularly U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,751, for example.

Polysulfones containing ether and alkylene groups in addition to sulfone groups are predominately amorphous, and are suitable candidates for the practice of the subject invention. Such polysulfones (polyethersulfones) have glass transition temperatures Tg, of greater than 150° C., preferably greater than 175° C., and most preferably in excess of 190° C. The Tg of a preferred KM 180 amine terminated polyether sulfone (manufactured by Cytec Industries Inc., Woodland Park N.J.) is approximately 200° C.

Other toughners or impact modifiers known in the epoxy adhesive art may be used in addition to the aforementioned prereacts derived by reaction of amine-terminated polymers or amino silane-terminated polymers with epoxy resins. Generally speaking, such toughners and impact modifiers are characterized by having glass transition temperatures ranging from −30° C. to 300° C. Examples of such toughners and impact modifiers include, but are not limited to: reaction products of epoxy-reactive copolymers of butadiene (especially epoxy-reactive copolymers of butadiene with relatively polar comonomers such as (meth)acrylonitrile, (meth)acrylic acid, or alkyl acrylates, e.g., carboxyl-terminated butadiene-nitrile rubbers. Other examples include polyimides such as Matrimid 9725 supplied by Huntsman, Polyetherimides such as Ultem supplied by Sabic and others.

Mixtures of different auxiliary impact modifiers/toughening agents may be used. The amount of auxiliary impact modifier/toughening agent in the curable layers of the present invention may vary substantially but typically is from about 0.1 to about 20 wt %, e.g. from about 5 to about 15 wt %. In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the toughening agent is present from about 10% to about 15% by weight of the total.

In another embodiment, the thermosetting adhesive compositions include a toughening agent chosen from carboxy-terminated acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer, polyamides, polyimides, and amido-amides. The carboxy-terminated acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer can include, for example, NIPOL 1472 from Zeon, whereas the polyamide can include, for example, polyamide. Suitable polyimides are known to those of ordinary skill in the art and include, for example, those described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,745. Particularly preferred are those polyimides which, because of the asymmetry of the dianhydride or diamine, particularly the latter, possess a lesser degree of crystallinity or are wholly amorphous. Polyimides based on BTDA and AATI are preferred. Such polyimides are available commercially under the trademark MATRIMID® 5218 from Huntsman and have an inherent viscosity of >0.62 dl/g when measured at 0.5 wt % concentration in N-methylpyrollidone at 25° C. The molecular weight of these most preferred polyimides is greater than 20,000 Daltons, preferably greater than 50,000 Daltons, and most preferably in the range of about 100,000 Daltons.

Epoxy Elastomer Adduct

An epoxy elastomer adduct is preferably included in the formulation used to produce the adhesive layer of the films of the present invention in order to import flexibility to the structural adhesive film and also enhance the ability to initiate plastic deformation. Various epoxy/elastomer adducts may be employed. The epoxy/elastomer hybrid or adduct may be included in an amount of up to about 50% by weight of the formulation used to produce the adhesive layer. The epoxy elastomer adduct is approximately at least 5%, more typically at least 7% and even more typically at least 10% by weight of the formulation and more preferably about 12% to 40% by weight of the adduct based on the formulation. The elastomer-containing adduct may be a combination of two or more particular adducts and the adducts may be solid adducts, semi-solids, at a temperature of 23° C. or may also be combinations thereof. A solid adduct is preferred in one preferred embodiment the adduct is composed of substantially entirely (i.e., at least 70%, 80%, 90% or more) of one or more adducts that are solid at a temperature of 23° C. We have found unexpectedly that when the adduct is used in the adhesive layers of the films of this invention together with a core/shell polymer desirable adhesive performance can be achieved over a wide range of temperatures the adduct imparts high temperature stability to the adhesive since there is little undesirable lowering of the Tg of the cured adhesive.

The adduct itself generally includes about 1:5 to 5:1 parts of epoxy to elastomer, and more preferably about 1:3 to 3:1 parts of epoxy to elastomer. More typically, the adduct includes at least about 10%, more typically at least about 20% and even more typically at least about 40% elastomer and also typically includes not greater than about 60%, although higher or lower percentages are possible. The elastomer compound suitable for the adduct may be a thermosetting elastomer, although not required. Exemplary elastomers include, without limitation, natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, polyisoprene, polyisobutylene, polybutadiene, isoprene-butadiene copolymer, neoprene, nitrile rubber (e.g., a butyl nitrile, such as carboxy-terminated butyl nitrile), butyl rubber, polysulfide elastomer, acrylic elastomer, acrylonitrile elastomers, silicone rubber, polysiloxanes, polyester rubber, diisocyanate-linked condensation elastomer, EPDM (ethylene-propylene diene rubbers), chlorosulphonated polyethylene, fluorinated hydrocarbons and the like. In one embodiment, recycled tire rubber is employed. Examples of additional or alternative epoxy/elastomer or other adducts suitable for use in the present invention are disclosed in United States Patent Publication 2004/0204551.

The elastomer-containing adduct is included to modify structural properties of the adhesive film such as strength, toughness, stiffness, flexural modulus, and the like. Additionally, the elastomer-containing adduct may be selected to render the activatable material more compatible with coatings such as water-borne paint or primer system or other conventional coatings.

Curing Agents

By the term curing agent is meant a reactive component capable of reacting with the phenoxy resin, or an epoxy functional group or polymerizing any epoxy functional group. The films of this invention are to be cured at elevated temperature, and they also contain one or more curing agents (hardeners) capable of accomplishing cross-linking or curing of certain of the adhesive components in the layer when the adhesive is heated to a temperature well in excess of room temperature.

There may be used as thermally-activatable or latent hardeners for the adhesive compositions of the present invention, for example, guanidines, substituted guanidines, substituted ureas, melamine resins, guanamine derivatives, blocked amines, aromatic amines and/or mixtures thereof. The hardeners may be involved stoichiometrically in the hardening reaction; they may, however, also be catalytically active. Examples of substituted guanidines are methylguanidine, dimethylguanidine, trimethylguanidine, tetra-methylguanidine, methylisobiguanidine, dimethylisobiguanidine, tetramethylisobiguanidine, hexamethylisobiguanidine, heptamethylisobiguanidine and, more especially, cyanoguanidine (dicyandiamide). Representatives of suitable guanamine derivatives which may be mentioned are alkylated benzoguanamine resins, benzoguanamine resins or methoxymethylethoxymethylbenzoguanamine. For single-component, thermosetting adhesives, the selection criterion is, of course, the low solubility of those substances at room temperature in the resin system, so that solid, finely ground hardeners are preferred; dicyandiamide is especially suitable. Good storage stability at room temperature of the composition is thereby ensured. The amount of curing agent utilized will depend upon a number of factors, including whether the curing agent acts as a catalyst or participates directly in crosslinking of the composition, the concentration of epoxy groups and other reactive groups in the composition, the desired curing rate and so forth. Typically, the composition contains from about 0.5 to about 1 equivalents of curing agent per one equivalent of epoxy molecule.

Generally, such curing agents have relatively low molecular weights and reactive functionalities which are phenolic hydroxyl, amine, amide, or anhydride. Preferable curing agents are the monomeric and oligomeric amine functional polyarylenes wherein between the arylene groups are simple covalent bridges such as in the diaminodiphenyls, or connecting groups selected from the group consisting of alkylene of from 1-8 carbon atoms, ether, sulfone, ketone, carbonate, carboxylate, carboxamide and the like.

In one embodiment, the amine curing agent is a mixture of dicyandiamide (DICY) and bisurea and the composition is cured at 120° C. In another embodiment, the amine curing agent is a diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) and the curing temperature is 180° C. In certain embodiments, the curing agent is a combination of DICY and DDS.

Optionally curing agent accelerators may also be included. The amounts of curing agents and curing agent accelerators used can vary widely depending upon the type of structure desired, the desired properties of the structural adhesive and in the embodiment when the material is expandable the desired amount of expansion of the activatable material and the desired rate of expansion. Exemplary ranges for the curing agents or curing agent accelerators present in the structural adhesive range from about 0.001% by weight to about 7% by weight.

Epoxy Resins

The thermosetting resin formulations used to make the adhesive layer of the films of the invention usually contain epoxy resins. The epoxy resins that can be employed for the present invention are curable epoxy resins having a plurality of epoxy groups per molecule. In general, a large number of glycidyl ethers having at least about two epoxy groups per molecule are suitable as epoxy resins for the compositions used in this invention. The polyepoxides may be saturated, unsaturated, cyclic or acyclic, aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic or heterocyclic polyepoxide compounds. Examples of suitable polyepoxides include the polyglycidyl ethers, which are prepared by reaction of epichlorohydrin or epibromohydrin with a polyphenol in the presence of alkali. Suitable polyphenols therefore are, for example, resorcinol, pyrocatechol, hydroquinone, bisphenol A (bis(4-hydroxyphenyI)-2,2-propane), bisphenol F (bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane), bisphenol S, bis(4-hydroxyphenyI)-1,1-isobutane, fluorene 4,4′-dihydroxybenzophenone, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1 -ethane, bisphenol Z (4,4′-Cyclohexylidenebisphenol), and 1,5-hydroxynaphthalene. In one embodiment, the epoxy resin includes EPON 828. Other suitable polyphenols as the basis for the polyglycidyl ethers are the known condensation products of phenol and formaldehyde or acetaldehyde of the novolac resin-type.

Other polyepoxides that are in principle suitable are the polyglycidyl ethers of polyalcohols, aminophenols or aromatic diamines. Particular preference is given to the liquid epoxy resins derived by reaction of bisphenol A or bisphenol F and epichlorohydrin. The bisphenol based epoxy resins that are liquid at room temperature generally have epoxy equivalent weights of from 150 to about 200. The epoxy resins that are solid at room temperature may also or alternatively be used and are likewise obtainable from polyphenols and epichlorohydrin and have melting point of from 45 to 130° C., preferably from 50 to 80° C. Typically, the formulation from which the adhesive layer of the films of this invention are prepared may contain from about 25 to about 90 wt % (e.g., 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 wt %) of epoxy resin (unless otherwise stated, all concentrations set forth herein are expressed in terms of the weight percent of the component in question based on the adhesive composition as a whole).

Epoxy resins vary in reactivity and molecular weight and the epoxy resin used should be chosen to provide adhesive strength and also the desired viscosity during cure to prevent sag and flow. Mixtures of liquid and solid epoxy resins may be used.

As mentioned previously, the epoxy resins are not used alone, but are combined with suitable curing agents, catalysts, rheology control agents, tackifiers, fillers, elastomeric toughening agents, reactive diluents, soluble thermoplastics and other additives according to the properties required of the film.

The compositions used to produce the adhesive layer of the films of this invention may contain other ingredients such as one or more of the following adhesive layer of the

i) polymers;

ii) blowing agents;

iii) fillers;

iv) flow control materials;

v) nano particles;

vi) pigments;

vii) flame retardants;

viii) fibres;

ix) moisture scavengers.

Other Additives

The compositions from which the adhesive layer of the films are made may contain known fillers such as the various ground or precipitated chalks, quartz powder, alumina, metallic aluminium powder, aluminium oxide, zinc oxide, calcium oxide, silver flakes, dolomite, graphite, granite, carbon fibres, glass fibres, textile fibres, polymeric fibres, titanium dioxide, fused silica, nano and hydrophobic grade silica (e.g., TS720), sand, carbon black, calcium oxide, calcium magnesium carbonates, barite and, especially, silicate-like fillers of the aluminium magnesium calcium silicate type, for example wollastonite and chlorite. Typically, the compositions used to produce the films of the present invention may contain from about 0.5 to about 40 wt % of fillers.

In another embodiment, the composition additionally contains one or more platy fillers such as mica, talc or clay (e.g., kaolin). The adhesive films of the present invention may also contain other common adjuvants and additives, such as plasticizers, non-reactive diluents, flow auxiliaries, coupling agents (e.g., silanes), adhesion promoters, wetting agents, tackifiers, flame retardants, thixotropic and/or rheology control agents (e.g., fumed silica, mixed mineral thixotropes), ageing and/or corrosion inhibitors, stabilizers and/or colouring pigments. Thixotropic agents such as silica or aramid fibre are particularly preferred as providing control of the viscosity of the adhesive formulation as it is heated to and held at the curing temperature. Depending on the requirements made of the adhesive application with respect to its processing properties, its flexibility, the required rigidifying action and the adhesive bond to the substrates, the relative proportions of the individual components may vary within comparatively wide limits.

For some end uses it may also be desirable to include dyes, pigments, stabilizers, thixotropic agents, and the like. These and other additives may be included in the thermosetting adhesive compositions used to produce the adhesive layer of the films of the invention and described herein as needed and at levels commonly practiced in the composite art. Upon curing, the thermosetting adhesive compositions, inclusive of any such additives, will form a substantially single, continuous rigid phase.

Polymer or Copolymer

Depending upon the use to which the adhesive film is to be put, the adhesive layer may include one or more additional polymers or copolymers which may or may not contain functional groups, which can include a variety of different polymers, such as thermoplastics, elastomers, plastomers and combinations thereof or the like. For example, and without limitation, polymers that might be appropriately incorporated into the structural adhesive include halogenated polymers, polycarbonates, polyketones, urethanes, polyesters, silanes, sulfones, allyls, olefins, styrenes, acrylates, methacrylates, epoxies, silicones, phenolics, rubbers, polyphenylene oxides, terphthalates, acetates (e.g., EVA), acrylates, methacrylates (e.g., ethylene methyl acrylate polymer) or mixtures thereof. Other potential polymeric materials may be or may include, without limitation, polyolefin (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene) polystyrene, polyacrylate, poly(ethylene oxide), poly(ethyleneimine), polyester, polyurethane, polysiloxane, polyether, polyphosphazine, polyamide, polyimide, polyisobutylene, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride), poly(methyl methacrylate), polyvinyl acetate), poly(vinylidene chloride), polytetrafluoroethylene, polyisoprene, polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylate.

When used, these polymers can comprise a small portion or a more substantial portion of the material. When used, the one or more additional polymers preferably comprises about 0.1% to about 50%, more preferably about 1% to about 20% and even more preferably about 2% to about 10% by weight of the activatable material.

In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to include one or more thermoplastic polyethers and/or thermoplastic epoxy resins in the adhesive layer. When included, the one or more thermoplastic polyethers preferably comprise between about 1% and about 90% by weight of the formulation, more preferably between about 3% and about 60% by weight of the formulation and even more preferably between about 4% and about 25% by weight of the formulation. As with the other materials, however, more or less thermoplastic polyether may be employed depending upon the intended use of the film.

The thermoplastic polyethers typically include pendant hydroxyl moieties. The thermoplastic polyethers may also include aromatic ether/amine repeating units in their backbones. The thermoplastic polyethers preferably have a melt index between about 5 and about 100, more preferably between about 25 and about 75 and even more preferably between about 40 and about 60 grams per 10 minutes for samples weighing 2.16 Kg at a temperature of about 190° C. Of course, the thermoplastic polyethers may have higher or lower melt indices depending upon their intended application. Preferred thermoplastic polyethers include, without limitation, polyetheramines, poly(amino ethers), copolymers of monoethanolamine and diglycidyl ether, combinations thereof or the like.

Preferably, the thermoplastic polyethers are formed by reacting an amine with an average functionality of 2 or less (e.g., a difunctional amine) with a glycidyl ether (e.g., a diglycidyl ether). As used herein, the term difunctional amine refers to an amine with an average of two reactive groups (e.g., reactive hydrogens).

According to one embodiment, the thermoplastic polyether is formed by reacting a primary amine, a bis(secondary) diamine, a cyclic diamine, a combination thereof or the like (e.g., monoethanolamine) with a diglycidyl ether or by reacting an amine with an epoxy-functionalized poly(alkylene oxide) to form a poly(amino ether). According to another embodiment, the thermoplastic polyether is prepared by reacting a difunctional amine with a diglycidyl ether or diepoxy-functionalized poly(alkylene oxide) under conditions sufficient to cause the amine moieties to react with the epoxy moieties to form a polymer backbone having amine linkages, ether linkages and pendant hydroxyl moieties. Optionally, the polymer may be treated with a monofunctional nucleophile which may or may not be a primary or secondary amine.

Additionally, it is contemplated that amines (e.g., cyclic amines) with one reactive group (e.g., one reactive hydrogen) may be employed for forming the thermoplastic polyether. Advantageously, such amines may assist in controlling the molecular weight of the thermoplastic ether formed.

Examples of preferred thermoplastic polyethers and their methods of formation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,275,853; 5,464924 and 5,962,093. Advantageously, the thermoplastic polyethers can provide the structural adhesive with various desirable characteristics such as desirable physical and chemical properties for a wide variety of applications as is further described herein.

Although not required, the formulation may include one or more ethylene polymers or copolymers such as ethylene acryllate copolymers, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers. Ethylene methacrylate and ethylene vinyl acetate are two preferred ethylene copolymers.

It may also be desirable to include a reactive polyethylene resin that is modified with one or more reactive groups such as glycidyl methacrylate or maleic anhydride. Examples of such polyethylene resins are sold under the tradename LOTADER® (e.g., LOTADER AX 8900) and are commercially available from Arkema Group.

Blowing Agent

The invention envisages both non-expandable and expandable thermosetting adhesive films. If the adhesive layer of the film is expandable one or more blowing agents may be added for producing inert gasses that form, as desired, an open and/or closed cellular structure within the film. The material expansion can help to improve sealing capability, acoustic damping and particularly adhesion bonding to a substrate.

The blowing agent may include one or more nitrogen containing groups such as amides, amines and the like. Examples of suitable blowing agents include azodicarbonamide, dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, azodicarbonamide, dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, 4,4,oxy-bis-(benzenesulphonylhydrazide), trihydrazinotriazine and N,N,dimethyl-N,Ni-dinitrosoterephthalamide. An accelerator for the blowing agents may also be provided. Various accelerators may be used to increase the rate at which the blowing agents form inert gasses. One preferred blowing agent accelerator is a metal salt, or is an oxide, e.g. a metal oxide, such as zinc oxide. Other preferred accelerators include modified and unmodified thiazoles or imidazoles (ureas).

Another class of blowing agents are physical blowing agents such as Expancel products marketed by Akzo-Nobel. These blowing agents consist of a polymeric particle with a volatile liquid in the centre. As the temperature is increased, the polymer shell softens and the gas inside the particle causes the polymer particle to expand. In this way, a foamed product is produced.

The amounts of blowing agents and blowing agent accelerators that are used can vary widely depending upon the type of cellular structure desired, the desired amount of expansion of the structural adhesive, the desired rate of expansion and the like. Exemplary ranges for the amounts of blowing agents and blowing agent accelerators in the activatable material range from about 0.001% by weight to about 5% by weight and are preferably in the structural adhesive in fractions of weight percentages.

Where the adhesive layer of the film is expandable the material may expand to at least 5% greater than its unfoamed size, at least 50% greater, at least 200% greater. It is also typically preferred that the volumetric expansion is such that the expanded volume is less than 400%, more typically less than 300%, even more typically less than 200% and possibly less than 100% relative to the original unexpanded volume.

Filler

The formulations from which the adhesive layer of the films of this invention are made may also include one or more fillers, including but not limited to particulate materials (e.g., powder), beads, microspheres such as Zeospheres available from 3M, or the like. Preferably the filler includes a material that is generally non-reactive with the other components present in the structural adhesive however, the surfaces may be treated to improve adhesion or compatibility with the adhesive matrix. While the fillers may generally be present to take up space at a relatively low weight and cost, it is contemplated that the fillers may also impart properties such as strength and impact resistance to the cured films.

Examples of fillers that may be used include silica, diatomaceous earth, glass, clay (e.g., including nanoclay), talc, pigments, colorants, glass beads or bubbles, glass, carbon or ceramic fibres, polyamide or aramid fibres (e.g., Kevlar), antioxidants, and the like. Such fillers, particularly clays, can assist the formulation in levelling itself during flow of the material. The clays that may be used as fillers may include clays from the kaolinite, illite, chloritem, smecitite or sepiolite groups, which may be calcined. Examples of suitable fillers include, without limitation, talc, vermiculite, pyrophyllite, sauconite, saponite, nontronite, montmorillonite or mixtures thereof. The clays may also include minor amounts of other ingredients such as carbonates, feldspars, micas and quartz. The fillers may also include ammonium chlorides such as dimethyl ammonium chloride and dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride. Titanium dioxide might also be employed.

In one preferred embodiment, one or more mineral or stone type fillers such as calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate or the like may be used as fillers. In another preferred embodiment, silicate minerals such as mica may be used as fillers.

When employed, the fillers range from 10% or less to 70% or greater by weight of the formulation. According to some embodiments, the formulation may include from about 0% to about 3% by weight, and more preferably slightly less that 1% by weight clays or similar fillers. Powdered (e.g. about 0.01 to about 50, and more preferably about 1 to 25 micron mean particle diameter) mineral type filler can comprise between about 5% and 70% by weight, more preferably about 10% to about 50% by weight.

Other Components and Additives

Other additives, agents or performance modifiers may also be included in the adhesive layer of the adhesive films of this invention. Examples include but not limited to an antioxidant, a UV resistant agent, a flame retardant, a heat stabilizer, a colorant, a processing aid, a lubricant, a reinforcement (e.g., chopped or continuous glass, ceramic, aramid, or carbon fibre, particulates or the like). Liquid polysufides particularly epoxidized may be used to improve the environmental exposure of the adhesive such as exposure to humidity and salt water.

When determining appropriate components for the adhesive layer of the thermosetting adhesive film, it may be important to form the material such that it will only activate (e.g., flow, foam or otherwise change states) at appropriate times or temperatures. For instance the material should not be reactive at room temperature in an assembly environment. More typically, the adhesive film becomes activated at higher processing temperatures. As an example, temperatures such as those encountered in an automobile assembly plant may be appropriate, especially when the adhesive film is processed along with the other components at elevated temperatures or at higher applied energy levels, e.g., during painting preparation steps. Temperatures encountered in many coating operations (e.g., in a paint and/or e-coat curing oven), for instance, range up to about 250° C. or higher typically 130° C. to 190° C.

The following sets out the preferred amounts of the preferred components that may be employed in the adhesive layer of the films of this invention and the performance that they provide to the cured adhesive film.

From 15 Phenoxy Resin Provides flexibility and to 40 wt % strength to the cured adhesive From 15 Low molecular weight Two functions: to 30 wt % difunctional bisphenol increases flexibility of the A epoxy resin uncured film and its ease of impregnation with a fleece (when employed) increases Young modulus of cured adhesive From 15 Nitrile rubber modified Two functions: to 40 wt % bisphenol F gives moderate Young epoxy resin modulus of cured adhesive increases toughness of cured adhesive From 0.1 Mono-functional Two functions: to −0.6 wt % epoxy resin increases flexibility of the (optional) (reactive diluent) uncured film and its ease of impregnation with a fleece (when employed) may increase toughness of the cured adhesive From 30 Butadiene rubber Increases toughness of the to 40 wt % core shell cured adhesive impact modifier From 0.5 Methylene Latent accelerator for the to 2 wt % diphenyl bis dicyandiamide cure of epoxy (dimethyl urea) resins From 13 Dicyandiamide Curing agent for epoxy resins to 6 wt % Optionally from Azobiscarboxamide Foaming agent 0.2 to 1 wt %

The films of this invention are suitable for bonding together two or more substrates chosen from composites, metal, or honeycomb structures. The films are preferably non-tacky to the touch at room temperature and have good storage stability at room temperature. They are also suitable for bonding to oily surfaces such as the oily metal surfaces that may be encountered in automobile manufacture.

In one embodiment, the thermosetting adhesive of the invention film has a density of from 1.1 to 1.5.

The carrier is a fibrous carrier or fleece such as a woven or knit mat, or a random mat, derived from glass, polyester, polyamide, or other suitable polymeric materials or carbon or aramid fibres. The adhesive films of the present invention may be produced by extruding the formulations previously described as suitable for the adhesive layer onto the fibrous fleece. Any extrusion should take place at temperatures below that at which there is any significant activation of the epoxy curing agent such as at temperatures from 70 to 120° C. The formulation may be extruded as a film directly onto the fibrous layer or fleece or the extruded film may be laminated to the fibrous layer or fleece after extrusion. For many uses the adhesive becomes non-tacky to the touch when cooled to room temperature.

In certain instances however it would be useful if the films of the invention can be removably adhered to the substrate at temperatures below the activation temperature of the adhesive to retain the film in place prior to activation. This would be particularly useful where the film is to be used with vertical, inclined or contoured components such as the vertical A, B or C pillars of vehicle frames. This would enable a piece of film to be placed manually or robotically in the desired location and retained in that location and would also allow the piece of film to be moved if necessary.

In a further embodiment the present invention therefore provides a thermosetting adhesive film of the invention provided with a tacky coating. Thermosetting adhesive films with a tacky surface are known for example, epoxy polyacrylate adhesive tapes are known in which the polyacrylate functions provide tackiness to the film. However these films have an undesirable odour, additionally for certain applications they do not result in an adequately strong bond.

We have now found that if a thermosetting adhesive film of the present invention is coated with a liquid, tacky resin that can be cured by the curative employed with the resin used in the adhesive layer of the film, the adhesive film can have sufficient tack to adhere to vertical, inclined and contoured surfaces prior to curing. Because the curing agent or curing agents employed with the resin have been selected so that there is no activation at ambient temperature whereby the film is storage stable the coating material will also not be activated and will remain tacky during any storage, transportation and application of the coated adhesive film. Furthermore the coated films can be stored for long periods of time, for example up to several months, at ambient temperature without significant loss of any of the mechanical properties of the bond when the adhesive is finally cured.

The present invention therefore provides an adhesive film or tape comprising a layer of a thermosetting film and a fibrous layer or fleece according to this invention wherein the adhesive layer contains one or more curing agents coated with a layer of a second tacky resin that is capable of being cured by at least one of the curing agents within the first curable resin.

The second tacky resin is preferably free of curing agent.

The second tacky resin may be applied to the adhesive film at any stage in the film manufacturing process. It may be applied at the point of manufacture of the adhesive film in which case it is desirable to provide a release layer on top of the coating layer to enable reeling and unreeling, transportation and storage of the film. Alternatively the coating may be applied at the point of use of the adhesive film.

As mentioned the second tacky thermosetting resin of the coating may be a polyester resin, a polyurethane or an epoxy resin of the types previously discussed. Epoxy resin being preferred. The second thermosetting resin should be such that it imparts a tacky surface to the adhesive film at ambient temperature and is preferably provides a liquid surface film at ambient temperature. It is preferably a liquid resin having a viscosity at 25° c of 1000 to 20,000 MPas so that it can be applied to and retained by the surface of the film based on the first thermosetting resin formulation. Alternatively although not preferred it can be applied as a solution and solvent removed to provide the desired tacky surface. Any suitable coating technique may be used. It is preferred that the coating be provided in an amount of from 2 to 10 grams per square metre.

The adhesive films of this invention are suitable for bonding together two or more substrates made from materials chosen from composites, metal, or honeycomb structures. The films have good storage stability at room temperature. They are also suitable for bonding to oily surfaces such as the oily metal surfaces that may be encountered in automobile manufacture. We have also found that they are useful for bonding together heavy structures which may be porous, and may have uneven or roughly profiled surfaces. They are also useful in bonding together substrates derived from materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion such as metal and fibre reinforced composites.

The invention additionally provides a process in which thermosetting adhesive formulation which may be epoxy based is extruded at a temperature in the range 70 to 120° C. as a film onto a moving fibrous layer or fleece. It is preferred that the formulation contain a phenoxy resin, a core/shell polymer, an epoxy modified elastomer and a curing agent as previously described.

The adhesive films of the present invention may be used in various articles of manufacture for adding structural integrity to portions or members of articles. Examples of such articles of manufacture include, without limitation, household or industrial appliances, furniture, storage containers, buildings, structures or the like. In preferred embodiments, the adhesive film is used for bonding portions of an automotive vehicle or aircraft such as body or frame members (e.g., a vehicle frame rail) of the automotive vehicle.

The present invention therefore provides an adhesive film that can be cured to produce a structural adhesive. The film is solid and can be dry to the touch and is storage stable at room temperature. The film can be activated to develop adhesive properties at an elevated temperature.

The cured adhesive film has a good elongation at breaking, good Lap Shear, good T Peel and good performance in the Wedge Impact Test over the range of temperatures and environmental conditions to which the film may be subjected flexibility, and protection against the propagation of flaws. Other desirable properties include good adhesion durability under various types of exposure conditions such as high humidity, salt water and high and low temperatures such as from sub-zero conditions experienced by aircraft to the high temperatures experienced by land vehicles in extreme climates with maintenance of the physical properties over time. In certain applications a high elastic modulus, a high Tg, high strain to failure and other physical properties may be desired.

The preferred thickness of the thermosetting adhesive films of the present invention will be selected according to the use to which the film is to be put. However films of thickness from 0.3 mm to 2 mm are preferred. The films of this invention are useful in many applications where strong bonds are required. In particular they are useful in bonding together substrates having different coefficients of thermal expansion. One particular use is in the bonding of metals such as steel and aluminium which have high coefficients of expansion to fibre reinforced resins such as glass, carbon or aramid fibre filled epoxy or poly urethane based resins which have low coefficients of thermal expansion where the use of the fibrous layer or fleece provides a barrier between the substrates and reduces or eliminates galvanic corrosion at the substrate interface. Additionally the films may be used to obtain a satisfactory bond when one or more of the surfaces is an oily surface.

The invention therefore provides a cured adhesive film derived from a thermosetting adhesive film of the present invention comprising a thermosetting adhesive layer and a fibrous layer or fleece and also provides such a cured adhesive film incorporating such a fibrous layer or fleece as herein before described. In a further embodiment the invention provides a laminar structure comprising a metal substrate and a fibre reinforced resin substrate bonded together by an adhesive film of the present invention.

The cured composition provided by the present invention is capable of exhibiting high peel and shear strengths in the temperature range of −55° C. to +120° C. In the cured state, these adhesives display performance necessary for many end-use applications especially in the manufacture of aircraft structures and high end automobiles. The toughness of the resin matrix may be adjusted, for example, by varying functionality of epoxy resins (di- or tri or tetrafunctional) leading to change in the crosslink density.

The invention is illustrated by reference to the following examples

EXAMPLES OF TAPE MANUFACTURING Example 1

An adhesive film was prepared by blending the following materials.

Component % CTBN modified epoxy resin (1600 g/Eq) 6.00% Epoxy resin (900 g/Eq) 5.00% Micronized grade of dicyandiamide (<50 micrometers) 5.00% Aromatic substituted urea (latent accelerator for the 0.60% dicyandiamide cure of epoxy resins) Calcium oxide (<70 micrometers) 5.00% Calcium carbonate (<70 micrometers) 18.40% Epoxy resin (200 g/Eq) 16.00% Methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS) Coreshell impact 16.00% modifier: cross-linked poly (butadiene/styrene) core with a grafted polymethyl methacrylate shell Epoxy Phenol Novolac Resin 8.00% Phenoxy Resin 15.00% Silica (<50 nanometers: 40%) reinforced bisphenol F based 5.00% epoxy resin

The formulation was extruded from a twin-screw and then calendared together with a fibrous layer or fleece comprising a non-woven glass layer of thickness 400 μm, weighing 56 grams/square metre with fibres of average length 12000 μm and average diameter 12 μm and having a tensile strength of 80 N/15 mm. The laminate of the film and the fibrous layer was produced by the process schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 hereto.

The temperatures in the different extruder zones were:

Zone 1 30 Zone 2 60 Zone 3 85 Zone 4 110 Zone 5 100 Zone 6 100 Zone 7 90 Zone 8 80 Zone 9 80 Zone 10 80 Zone 11 80

The temperature of the calendar cylinder was between 80 and 90° C.

The calendared adhesive film of the invention had a thickness between 0.3 and 2 mm.

The adhesive film was used to bond two steel plates. The curing conditions was heating at 165° C. for 20 minutes.

Lap shear strength: 30 MPa/Cohesive failure

Example 2 Tape Manufacturing

A tacky film (a tape) was made by applying a liquid epoxy resin on at least one of the two surfaces of the Adhesive Film of Example 1.

The liquid resin used for the tacky coat can be

-   -   a Bisphenol-A based epoxy resin or     -   a Bisphenol-F based epoxy resin

Example 2A: the liquid resin is a Bisphenol-A based epoxy resin and is the same as the liquid resin used in the formula of the Adhesive film.

Example 2B: the liquid resin is a Bisphenol-A based epoxy resin and is different from the liquid resin used in the formula of the Adhesive film.

The mechanical performances of bonded assemblies using the Adhesive Films of Example 1 or the Adhesive Tapes of Examples 2A and 2B are almost the same. The Adhesive Tapes have a slightly higher lap shear strength and a slightly lower peel strength.

The manufacture of films according to the present invention is illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawing II in which FIG. 1 shows the manufacturing line comprising an extruder (1) to which the first thermosetting resin system (2) is fed. The first thermosetting resin system is extruded at about 80° C. and passes into a calendaring system (3) where it is calendared by passage through pressure rollers (4) to the required thickness. The calendared extrudate then passes to a laminate system where it is laminated to a fibrous layer (5) provided from reels (6).

As a further option the laminate may then be passed to a coating system where it is coated with a second tacky thermosetting resin (7) supplied from tanks (8) from which it passes to a cutting system (9) where a release liner (10) can be provided on the tacky surface and the film or tape can be cut by a knife (11) into sections (12) of the desired length. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A curable thermosetting adhesive film which is: a) flexible prior to cure so that flaws in the adhesive film are protected against propagation; and b) storage stable at room temperature, wherein the adhesive film comprises an adhesive layer having a density of from 1.1 to 1.5 g/ml and a fibrous supporting layer; wherein the adhesive layer comprises: i) a phenoxy resin; ii) an elastomer/epoxy resin adduct; iii) an epoxy resin; iv) a core shell material; v) a curing agent; and vi) one or more corrosion inhibitors; wherein the adhesive film has an uncured thickness between 0.2 and 3.0 mm; wherein the adhesive film prevents galvanic corrosion when bonding together via the adhesive layer two or more substrates having different conductivities and different coefficients of thermal expansion; wherein the adhesive layer is coated with a tacky thermosetting resin that is a liquid so that the adhesive film can be removably adhered to a surface at ambient temperature; and wherein the tacky thermosetting resin can be cured by the curing agent of the adhesive layer.
 2. The adhesive film according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive film can be cured in no more than 45 minutes at a temperature no higher than 190° C.
 3. The adhesive film according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive film forms an adhesive bond with oily surfaces.
 4. The adhesive film according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive film can be cured at a temperature in the range 130° C. to 190° C.
 5. The adhesive film according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive layer is foamable.
 6. The adhesive film according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer contains from 15 to 40 wt % of the phenoxy resin, from 5 to 40 wt % of the elastomer/epoxy resin adduct, and from 5 to 25 wt % of the core shell polymer.
 7. The adhesive film according to claim 6, wherein the fibrous supporting layer is selected from a woven mat, a knit mat, or a random mat and is derived from glass, polyester, polyimide, carbon, or aramid fibres.
 8. The adhesive film according to claim 7, wherein the fibrous supporting layer has a thickness of from 10 to 500 μm.
 9. The adhesive film according to claim 7, wherein the fibrous supporting layer has an area weight of from 10-200 grams/square metre.
 10. The adhesive film according to claim 7, wherein the fibrous supporting layer is an electrically non-conducting, non-woven glass fibre, glass fibre scrim, polyester, or aramid fibres having a binder.
 11. The adhesive film according to claim 6, wherein the adhesive layer is uncured and the uncured adhesive layer coated with the tacky thermosetting resin is on one or both sides of the fibrous supporting layer.
 12. The adhesive film according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous supporting layer has a porosity of from 1-1000 μm.
 13. The adhesive film according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is uncured, and the uncured adhesive layer coated with the tacky thermosetting resin is on one or both sides of the fibrous supporting layer.
 14. The adhesive film according to claim 1, wherein the tacky thermosetting resin is free of a curing agent.
 15. The adhesive film according to claim 1, wherein the tacky thermosetting resin coats the adhesive layer in an amount of from 2 to 10 grams per square meter.
 16. A cured adhesive film derived from the adhesive film according to claim
 1. 17. A process of using the adhesive film according to claim 1 for bonding together the two or more substrates, including locating the adhesive film onto a first substrate and contacting the first substrate with a second substrate with the adhesive film located therebetween, wherein the first substrate comprises a material that is dissimilar from that of the second substrate.
 18. A process of using the adhesive film according to claim 1 for the bonding of metals to fibre reinforced resin composites, including locating the adhesive film onto a metallic substrate and afterward contacting the adhesive film with a fibre reinforced resin composite substrate.
 19. The process according to claim 18, wherein the fibre reinforced resin composite is a glass, carbon, or aramid fibre reinforced epoxy or polyester based resin. 